I think that many of the people who have read this book have leapt to conclusions. Yes the book is problematic, but I also understand why the author wrote the book this way. This book is definitely not the best I've read by far, its not a terrible book. It is however the author's debut novel so I was not expecting a lot. For a YA novel it was definitely was better than I was expecting. I think this is one path to healing for the author and honestly it wasn't all horrible.
In the Author's Note Michelle Ruiz Keil did include a trigger warning stating that the book contained themes of sexual abuse and drug use. Keil says that like Xochi she was a runaway, she is also a survivor of abuse and this book was one path to her coping with her trauma. In this novel she wanted to explore those things while also incorporating mythical characters.
This book tells the story of seventeen year old Xochi who's mother abandons her and after her grandma Loretta dies she runs away to San Francisco. After a few weeks in SF alone she meets a Pallas, the twelve year old daughter of Leviticus and Io. She becomes Pallas' governess and friend. Leviticus and the rest of the gang introduce her to the Rock & Roll lifestyle. One night after Lady Frieda's Equinox party Pallas and Xochi accidentally summon these mythical creatures named Waterbabies. The creatures begin exacting revenge against all people who have hurt Xochi, but in the end she is forced to deal with her trauma on her own.
What I liked about this book was that it covered themes of abuse, the results of that trauma and then deals with the subject of redemption. The author in my opinion did a good job at portraying the behavior of the Waterbabies as manifestations of the hurt that Xochi experienced, they were able to determine who could and could not be redeemed. Her mother could be redeemed, Evan could not, and Evan surrendered his life because he recognized that he was irredeemable. There is also the theme of free love, the way the characters acknowledged that it is sometimes flawed, but it can be beautiful. Oh yeah and there was a random Star Trek reference that made me happy. In the end Xochi becomes part of this found family, agrees to try with her mother and knows it could take some time to heal.
Although there were some good moments there are some really bad ones too. I definitely did not agree with Leviticus being a love interest, it is statutory rape no matter how you try to slice it. He should not have been the choice for a love interest. Kylen kept accusing Xochi of lying about her age, when in fact she hadn't mentioned her age at all. Xochi was supposed to be Bi representation, but the only time it's ever brought up it's a drunken afterthought. There are other queer identities represented which kind of makes up for it, but not much, I wish she could have been left to explore more instead of being hung up on Leviticus.
I would recommend this for a person who is looking for an 80s Rock & Roll narrative that is problematic and sort of adventurous. If you don't mind themes of trauma, abuse and drug use, it might be fine for you. If not, I would avoid this one, its not a must read. I think that its just survivor's road to recovery with a little bit of mysticism to keep you going and that's about as deep as it goes.
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